


To The Waters And The Wild

by driftingashes



Series: Winter Violets [1]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alcohol, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & October | Toby Sanders are Siblings, Bullying, Car Accidents, Creativitwins, Deceit | Janus Sanders is Bad at Feelings, Drinking, Drunk Driving, Fae & Fairies, Fae Deceit | Janus Sanders, Fae Magic, Fae Morality | Patton Sanders, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Genderfluid Deceit | Janus Sanders, Hugs, Human Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Hypnotism, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kid Anxiety | Virgil Sanders, Kid Fic, Magic, Magic AU, Minor Character Death, Morality | Patton Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders are Siblings, Non-Binary Morality | Patton Sanders, Nonbinary Character, Original Character(s), Parent Death, Platonic Relationships, Protective Deceit | Janus Sanders, Underage Sex, Virgil October and Missy are Siblings, Winter Violets 'verse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:42:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23938606
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/driftingashes/pseuds/driftingashes
Summary: "Anxiety, get behind me," Janus snarled, locking eyes with the Fae hovering in front of them. "This isn't something you want to be in the middle of.""Dee? What's going on?""You've never been one to play with your food," Lark said, staring Anxiety with a mildly amused smirk on her face. "If you wait much longer, I might make a snack out of him for myself."In other words, Fae!Deceit meets human!Virgil and basically just instantly adopts him as their charge.Formerly titled "Lilacs." Current title from "The Stolen Child," a poem by W. B. Yeats
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Deceit | Janus Sanders
Series: Winter Violets [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1725637
Comments: 67
Kudos: 118





	1. November 17th, 1997

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so, so much to my friend V (@Vinegar_and_Garlic_Salt here on Ao3) for going over this AU with me. It seriously means a lot that you helped me. 
> 
> Thank you so, so much for your continued support for both IRL things and "Red Sky." Love ya, V!!  
> xx Asher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Janus is just trying to take a nap, and Virgil unknowingly sasses one of the most powerful Fae in a 300 mile radius.
> 
> AKA Virgil wants a friend and Janus is lonely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Janus low key just randomly switches between pronouns in this fic. Fae don't conform to human gender stereotypes, and so Jan is really just vibing in the corner.
> 
> Virgil is seven, just for reference. (His bday is Halloween because it is. Sorry, I don't make the rules here.)
> 
> Anywho, have fun reading this, I'm super proud of it.
> 
> xx Asher

Janus leaned back against the tree, eyes slipping closed as the cool air hit his exposed throat. Winter was fast approaching, he could feel the season yanking against its reins, causing the air to turn brisk, snapping at his heels with icy teeth.

A small rustle in the bushes behind him, however, had his eyes snapping open. There was something (or someone) just to his left. Slipping silently from his branch, he crept around the base of the tree and warily peered around the trunk, expecting a small fox or squirrel.

But a human? In this section of the woods, humans were scarce, seen only once in a blue moon, usually in packs, carrying weapons and smelling of metal and fire and death.

Janus bared his teeth threateningly, launching himself into the human's path. "What is your name?" he demanded.

The human (really more of a child, when Janus gave him another cursory glance) blinked up at him with huge green eyes. "What's yours?"

Janus narrowed his eyes, muffling the hiss slipping between his clenched teeth, lest he scare the child. "You can call me Deceit."

The boy hummed. "You can call me Anxiety, I guess."

So the boy either knew enough to not give his name or introduce himself directly, or he was mocking Janus's own words. Interesting.

"What is your business in this part of the woods?"

Anxiety cocked his head curiously. "My mom told me not to talk to strangers. Besides, it's none of your business where I play."

Janus had to stifle another hiss. At this rate, the kid was going to bump into another fae and get himself killed. He took a deep breath and tried again. "Kid, do you even know what I am?"

The boy scrutinized him for a moment, then grinned brightly. "Are you my guardian angel?"

Janus (somehow) resisted the urge to slam his face against the nearest tree in exasperation. He'd never had the best temper, and stars above, this kid was getting on his nerves. But glancing back at him, standing there with a large, dopey smile plastered across his face as he waited for Janus's reply, he couldn't find it in himself to snap at the kid.

Instead, he just lowered his hands to his sides. Anxiety's smile was starting to slip, and Janus hurried to answer him before the boy started to cry - that would be a nightmare.

"Uhm...yes. I'm your...guardian angel." He tried not to grimace at the words. It sounded like something his brother would say, something all nice and sweet and happy to make the kid feel more at ease. Morality always was better at being nice to humans, though he supposed that came with the territory of being a Summer.

"That's so _cool_ wow!" Anxiety chirped happily, bouncing on his toes and grinning even wider. "Can you use magic?"

Anxiety plunked himself down on the ground in front of Janus, hands folded in his lap. The fae considered for a moment, then sighed. "Yes, I can use magic."

"Could you please show me?"

Janus, resigning himself to entertaining the child at least up until he could convince him to leave, waved his hand at a nearby bush. Frost spread across the thin leaves, melting almost immediately in the glow of the sun.

Anxiety was gaping in disbelief and awe at the melting frost. "Whoa."

Janus shrugged, suddenly self conscious. "Shouldn't you be getting home, little human?"

Anxiety scrambled to his feet. "Yeah, I guess." He waved over his shoulder at the fae. "Bye, Deceit!"

Janus returned the motion, belatedly remembering the human custom to wave when they departed each other's company.

What an odd little human. Janus decided to keep an eye out for him in case he stumbled back into the woods. It wouldn't do for him to allow the child to come to harm, not after the human had had a full fledged conversation with him. It would be incredibly rude.

He kept telling himself that it wasn't because he _liked_ the little human. _That_ would be absurd.

Morality grinned at them the moment they stepped into the small hut. "So, who'd you meet?" Janus glared at xem, but their brother was undeterred. "You must've met _someone_ , you're all lit up like a sparkler."

"There was a human in the clearing today," Janus admitted gruffly.

Their brother's reaction was immediate. "A human? What did you do to them? Are they okay? Where are they? Did you-"

"I didn't _hurt_ them, Morality, have a bit of faith! They were quite interesting, for a human. I showed them a little magic and sent them on their way."

Morality narrowed xyr eyes, and Janus groaned. "We can't _lie_ , Mor. I...I _promise_ I didn't hurt the little beast."

"Well I didn't mean for you to get quite that serious about proving yourself, but that works as well as anything else," Morality said, turning back to the cookies xe were making. "What's their name?"

"The human is going by Anxiety."

Morality glanced back at them, surprised. "They knew how to address you properly?"

Janus shook their head. "No, I doubt it. He copied how I introduced myself. He was very blunt. Thought I was his guardian angel."

Morality concealed a smile in xyr sleeve, trying and failing to hide it from Janus. "And what did you tell him?"

Janus sighed, something they seemed to be doing a lot that day. "Well I didn't want to disappoint him, I'm not a monster."

"That's so _sweet_ , Jan, oh my gosh, you were nice to a _human_! Oh, gosh, I'm so _proud_ of you!" Morality gushed, beaming happily at them.

"Mor, it was a one time thing. I'm not going to...go around being nice to...humans!" he spat.

Morality just chuckled, waving xyr spatula. "If you say so," xe said airily. Xe clearly didn't believe them.

Janus just groaned, storming to their room and curling up under their blanket. "I don't _like_ the stupid mortal," they tried to say, but the words stuck in their throat like cobwebs, and she choked on the lie. Shit.

She rolled onto her side, tugging the blanket with her, blowing strands of her hair out of her eyes in the same movement.

" _ **Great**_."


	2. December 13th, 1997

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The human calling himself Anxiety really just didn't know when to quit, showing up almost daily, to Morality’s immense delight.
> 
> .....And Janus enjoyed his company much more than she thought she was going to.
> 
> TWs: brief mention of someone's wings being cut off (but it didn't actually happen)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think the next chapter is going to focus more on Virgil rather than Janus, hope that won't bother anyone, I know Jan is the main character here, but I can't help it. I love both of them so so much and also I have some stuff for Virgil's backstory that so want to get into here as well.
> 
> xx Asher
> 
> qwiufvbiubfq I almost forgot to change the date of this chapter because it was originally set right after the first meeting between Virgil and Deceit.

The human calling himself Anxiety really just didn't know when to quit, showing up almost daily, to Morality’s immense delight.

.....And Janus enjoyed his company much more than she thought she was going to.

The first couple times that Anxiety sought her out after the first time were tense, the air between them pulled taut like a rubber band, threatening to snap if one of them so much as twitched in the wrong direction.

But after the first week, Anxiety started inching closer to her, watching her silently as she drew her hands along the leaves of the bushes lining the riverbank, munching on orange slices. Once or twice she caught a faint smile on his lips as the ice crystals worked their way along the thin veins of the leaves.

Virgil was the first to break their customary silence. (Because of course he was.)

"Deceit? Do you have wings?"

Janus choked on the orange, dropping the uneaten segments by accident. Anxiety's expression flickered from curiosity to panic faster than Janus could even blink.

"Bad question? Sorry!" The human's breathing hitched like he was going to start crying, and Janus angrily tamped down the urge to hug the little beast.

Janus shook herself, trying to clear her head. "No, you're perfectly fine, you meant no offense."

Anxiety fixed his huge, strange eyes on her and narrowed them. Jan pulled back at the threatening expression, tensing and readying herself to fight the human if necessary.

"Do you pinky promise?"

Shit. Shit _shit **shit**_.

Janus reluctantly offered her pinky for Anxiety to hook around his own, and the child lit up happily. "Thank you, Dee."

She very nearly had to stop herself from choking again. Now the tiny human had given them a _nickname_? Was that even _allowed_? What if the child discovered their True Name? Fuck, that was going to cause all sorts of problems.

"I...yeah, whatever," they said, turning back and sadly glancing at their orange slices laying in the dirt. They were about to pick them up and try to dust them off when Anxiety tapped them on the shoulder.

They partially turned towards him, reaching for the orange slices. Anxiety grinned, holding out a small orange cupped in his palms. "My mum gave it to me. You can have it, though."

Jesus _Christ_ , this kid had absolutely no sense of self preservation _at all_. Giving gifts to faeries? And one of the more powerful ones, at that? Janus should have killed the small mortal ten times over. You know. Just on principle.

Instead, she took the orange gingerly and smiled. "My thanks."

Anxiety wrinkled his nose. "You talk kinda funny."

Janus drew herself up, instantly defensive. "What's wrong with the way I talk?" she demanded. Funny, she usually couldn't care less about her slight lisp.

"You talk like the old fashioned people in the movies sometimes. All formal and stuff."

Janus relaxed. "Oh."

Anxiety shrugged. "I think it's cool." He glanced up at the sky, changing the subject before Janus could comment. "So. Can I see your wings?"

Janus swallowed convulsively, glancing over his shoulder to make sure the forest was clear. They were alone. Sucking in a deep breath, Janus smoothly slipped his jacket from his shoulders, gently stretching his wings to the sky and cringing, waiting for Virgil's reaction.

There was a pause, and then an angry little huff of air. "They're torn. Who hurt you? I'm gonna fight them. Lemme at 'em."

Janus couldn't help but laugh. "You don't think they're ugly?"

Anxiety shook his head, shuffling forward to peer at them. "No. They're pretty. I like the blue at the bottoms."

Janus blinked. "Your kindness is very much appreciated, Anxiety."

The human grinned toothily at him. "Just telling the truth." But why are they ripped?"

Janus shrugged uneasily. "Someone tried to tear them off."

Anxiety clenched his fists. "Why?"

"I got tangled up with the wrong people," Janus said, trying to brush it off. "It was a long time ago."

The boy hummed, and they sat in silence for a moment before Janus perked up. "Would you like to meet my brother?" she blurted before she could overthink the offer.

Anxiety brightened. "You mean it?"

"Of course I mean it. Why would I offer if I was going to turn you away?"

Anxiety shrugged, skipping up the rocky shore and back onto the grass. "Is he nice?"

"Xe, Anxiety, and yes, I certainly think so."

Anxiety grinned. "Cool."

Morality was, predictably, over the moon about the little beast. "Oh, he's so _cute_ , Jan, oh my _gosh_! Oh I love him. He's ours now, we're keeping him."

"Absolutely not, the human village would come after us if a child went missing," Janus deadpanned, facepalming when both Morality and Anxiety gave him near identical puppy dog eyes. " _No_ , Morality. Anxiety, you have a family."

Anxiety scuffed his feet one the floor and just looked away. Janus frowned. "Don't you? You mentioned that you had siblings once, I assumed-"

”No, it’s okay,” Anxiety said, clearing his throat and lifting his chin, expression smoothing in the span of a heartbeat. No seven year old should be able to do that.

Janus could practically feel the lie, but shrugged it off. He wasn’t going to pressure the kid into revealing anything he didn’t want to. Yet.

Instead, he bent down and looked Virgil in the eye. “Would your family care if you were to accidentally disappear?” he asked. “I can make that happen, you can come with us.”

Anxiety blinked a couple of times, like he was either holding back tears or trying to understand the question. “No. They want me to disappear.”

The bitterness in his voice caught Janus off guard, and he immediately turned to Morality. “I retract my earlier statement, we’re definitely keeping him.”

”I’m going to curse them,” Morality said, hand clenching around the handle of the ladle xe were holding.

”Uhm...excuse me? Dee’s brother? Your soup is boiling over.”

”Oh fiddlesticks!” Morality cried, hurriedly turning back to stir the soup. “Thank you, kiddo.”

”Please don’t curse them,” Anxiety asked, softly. “Some of them are nice. Like my maths teacher at school, and-er, my friends.”

Morality glanced back at him, expression softening. Xe looked much more normal like that, Janus noted. Morality wasn't a creature of anger. Xyr very nature was more akin to dandelion seeds.

"Oh, kiddo, I won't curse them if you don't want me to."

"Thank you, Dee's brother!" Anxiety chirped. "Are you an angel too?"

"I...no, kiddo, I'm just a..." Xe broke off for a moment. "Jan, did you tell him yet?"

Janus shook his head. "No, not yet."

Anxiety frowned. "Tell me what? Dee said she was my guardian angel."

Shit. Did he really? He'd somehow found a way to unknowingly assign himself to a mortal? Goodie.

"Yes, I suppose I am if you want me to be," he said coolly, schooling his expression quickly. "Though...Morality, would you do the honours?"

Morality sighed. "I think you'd better sit down for this one, kiddo," xe said, pulling out a mushroom-shaped stool, which Anxiety promptly sat on.

"Is this actually a mushroom?" he asked giddily.

Morality grinned. "Partially. It's mostly just magic holding it in place. It would have rotted a long time ago otherwise. And it wouldn't have gotten so big."

"Perks of being a Spring," Janus muttered.

"Jan," Morality laughed, smacking him on the arm playfully.

"Who's Jan?"

"My nickname for her-"

"He, right now, please," Janus corrected under his breath. Morality shot him an apologetic glance, which he waved off.

"My nickname for him is January."

"I'm a winter court faerie," Janus gritted out.

Anxiety cocking his head to the side innocently, and Morality made a little adoring noise under xyr breath.

"A faerie? You mean like the ones they warn us about in school? You guys are real? That's amazing!"

Morality grimaced. "Not all the time, kiddo. You got lucky when you met Jan instead of Lark or Nettle."

"They're mean?" Anxiety asked, eyes going wide.

Morality's mouth twisted like xe had just stuck a lemon onto xyrs mouth. "Unfortunately."

"Can I bring my brother and sister out to meet you tomorrow? I have to go home now."

Morality and Janus exchanged glances. "I suppose," Morality said. "But don't give us your real-"

"Names, I know." Anxiety shrugged. "We learned about faeries in school."

Janus nodded. "I suspected as much. Your town has never liked our kind. We haven't been able to live side by side in peace for decades now."

Anxiety narrowed his eyes again. "How old are you guys?"

"Older than I want to admit," Morality said, chuckling.

Janus shrugged. "I stopped keeping track a long time ago. What year is it?"

Anxiety had to think for a moment. "1997."

Janus nodded. "Then the same for me, older than I want to say."

Anxiety nodded. "I'm seven."

Morality smiled. "A baby!" xe exclaimed.

Anxiety scowled a little. "I'm almost eight!"

Janus raised an eyebrow. "When did you turn seven?"

Anxiety contemplated the question for a moment, then shrugged. "Last month."

"I hate to break it to you, kid, but you're not-" He cut off with a wince when Morality jabbed him in the side and sent him a warning glare. "Yeah, okay, sure, kid."

Anxiety beamed, then raced out of the hut, throwing a wave and a "bye, Dee! Bye Dee's brother!" over his shoulder as he went.

Morality whirled on him. "January!"

"What?" Jan threw his hands up. "I _literally_ couldn't lie to him! He's not almost eight, he's just barely seven!"

Morality just rolled xyr eyes. "Next time? Just let it go."

"Fine, fine."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dee's wings are meant to be based off of an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (the predominantly yellow variety, with a blue lining along the bottom). Yellow butterflies are good luck. They are said to bring happiness and prosperity, and in Irish folklore they represent the souls of the departed in the afterlife.
> 
> I've found a LOT of contradicting information about the Fae. Sometimes they have wings, sometimes they don't have wings after childhood, sometimes they never have wings at all but can still fly etc etc...so I'm going off what I wanna write because apparently there's no way to be mythologically accurate here.
> 
> Also, if I wrote "Virgil" instead of "Anxiety" anywhere, PLEASE tell me because Deceit doesn't know Virgil's name yet. (Also, Patton nickname for Janus, 'Jan,' is actually short for January and not Janus - they don't know each others's names but Dee is a Winter. So. Y'know. Pun names yeet.
> 
> OH AND IF I MESS UP ON HOW TO WRITE PATTON’S PRONOUNS LET ME KNOW. I’ve never used neopronouns in a fic before, so if I mess up on the correct form by accident so please feel free to correct me. Thank you guys so much!!
> 
> xx Asher


	3. December 13th/14th, 1997

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For reference - birthdays!  
> Tobias: 19 (March 16th)  
> Melissa: 13 (June 5th)  
> Virgil: 7 (October 31st)
> 
> TW: it's implied that the kids's dad is abusive, but dw I'm never going to get into it much. In fact, he doesn't show up much yet, and any actual abuse will be mostly glossed over (not the right word but I'm tired) because I am trying to write HAPPIER things dammit. it's more of a "he gets drunk and never wants to spend time with his kids and when he does it's to emotionally manipulate them or verbally berate them" kind of abuse than a "yeah he beats the shit out of them" kind of abuse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case anyone doesn't remember or know, Tobias/Toby is the October character and Melissa/Missy is the Misleading Compliment. if I remember correctly, both make appearances in his Sanders Shorts video and originated in his vines.
> 
> Logan is here now!!! Also this was low key supposed to post yesterday but then I clicked the 'Save as Draft' button instead of the 'Post' one, and...so yeah, it didn't post. Yeah. It's now after one am, I am reevaluating all my life decisions and I have started contemplating the pros and cons of making Dino nuggets.
> 
> xx Asher

Virgil skidded to a halt on the edge of the forest, grabbing his bookbag where he'd stashed it in the bushes and straightening his uniform before bounding off along the path towards home. The house was silent when he arrived, and he raced to his brother's room. "Toby! Toby Toby Toby!"

His brother sat up from where he was hunched over his desk, gnawing on his pencil eraser. "What, Virgil?"

"I met faeries!" Virgil revealed, lowering his voice so their parents wouldn't hear.

Toby sat bolt upright. "You did what? Virgil, you know better!"

"But they were really nice! And I asked if I could bring you and Missy out with me tomorrow."

Toby groaned. "Oh my gods, she's going to lose her shit when she hears about this. She's wanted to meet a faerie her entire life." Virgil looked at him pleadingly, and he caved. " _Fine_ , I'll go, but only to keep you two out of trouble."

Virgil bounced on the balls of his feet. "Thank you! You're the best big brother in the whole word!"

Toby blushed and turned away abruptly. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Go tell Melissa about your faerie or whatever, I'm busy."

Virgil skipped across the hall, knocking on his sister's door. "Who is it?" she called.

"Missy! Can I come in? You'll never guess what I found!"

Missy's door flew open. "Did you see a faerie?" she asked in a hushed whisper, dragging him into her room and slamming the door without waiting for a response. "What was their name? Did you see their wings? You didn't give them your actual name, did you? What's your nickname? Did they try to eat you? Are they scary? Were they tall? Did they even look human?"

"Yes, they're going by Deceit and...I dunno about the other one, actually, but they're brothers. I saw Deceit's wings, they're beautiful! I didn't give them my name, but I didn't know he was a faerie when I met him. Guess I got lucky deciding to give him a nickname. I'm Anxiety.” He sucked in a breath to continue. “They didn't try to eat me. They're not scary, they want me to come live with them. They were tall, but they look just like regular humans," Virgil managed to get out, gasping for breath by the end.

"We get to go live with them?" Missy asked. "You mean it?"

Virgil nodded. "We can get out of here, Missy! This is our chance!"

Missy's face fell. "But Toby wouldn't let us."

"He'll see reason when we meet them tomorrow," Virgil assured her.

She smiled at him, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “If you say so, Virge.”

Virgil awoke the next morning to the light glinting off his sister's window. He sat up groggily, pushing the pink unicorn blanket off of himself. "Missy?"

"Shhhhh," she hissed sharply, throwing the blanket back over him. "Dad's in the hallway, shut up."

Their father's lumbering footsteps pounded down the hall, fading as he tromped down the stairs. Toby poked his head out from under Missy's bed.

"Did you move me in my sleep?" Virgil asked.

Missy looked sheepish. "You fell asleep in here last night after Dad got back from the bar, and I didn't want to wake you up. You look like you never sleep anymore."

Virgil looked down at his rumpled school uniform and smiled. “Thanks, Missy.”

”Shut it,” Toby snapped, perking up suddenly. “He’s coming back up.”

All three children went silent, huddling down under their blankets.

”TOBIAS!”

"Shit,” Toby mumbled, dragging himself out from under his sister’s bed and creeping to the door. “Wish me luck,” he called back, slinking through the door and into his own from across the hall.

”Yeah, pop?”

”Get out here, boy.”

“Coming,” Toby said meekly, following their father down the hall. Within seconds, something in the kitchen shattered, followed by their father yelling. Tobias came flying back down the hall, swerving into Missy's room and grabbing his siblings. "We're leaving. Right now," he ordered. "Get some clothes together, but make it quick." Virgil locked eyes with him, and Toby sighed. "Okay. We'll go ask your faerie friends to help us. Go pack your stuff, and grab whatever you want to keep, we won't be coming back."

Leaving Toby to help Missy pack her shirts into her backpack, Virgil slipped down to his room and grabbed his bookbag, quickly snagging his hoodie and the small leather covered journal from under the floorboards. Turning, he slipped a framed photo off the desk, taking a precious moment to trace the curves and angles of his mother's face as she smiled into the camera, Missy and Virgil wrapped in her arms and Toby standing next to her, all four of them smiling widely.

Important things packed, Virgil grabbed a couple of plain t-shirts and stuffed them into the bag, scurrying back down the hall and re-entering his sister's room. "It's me," he called softly when he noticed his siblings sitting in the bathroom.

Toby nodded, holding a finger to his lips, and then jerking his head towards the wall. "Dad's in the kitchen," he mouthed.

"Are we good to leave?" he mouthed back. After a quick glance around and a nod from Missy, Toby rounded them both up and pried the window open, wincing at every shrill protest from the rotting wood.

"Missy, Virgil, the both of you need to stick close to me, okay? Dad might see us through the kitchen window, you have to be ready to run on my signal." Toby carded his fingers through Missy's hair and patted Virgil gently on the head, trying to comfort them. "And three...two..."

"Tobias! Melissa! Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"Go!" Toby shouted, shoving his siblings ahead of him. "Head for the stream!"

They sprinted into the trees, heading for the small stream bordering their property line. The gurgling water bubble cheerfully over the rocks, but Virgil didn't have time to stop and admire the water, instead following Toby and Missy over the rickety bridge and into the forest beyond. "We're not on the property anymore. He won't dare come in here after us. Not alone," Toby reassured a shaking Missy. Virgil flopped down by the curve of the stream and stared at the water running directly in front of his nose.

"There they are!"

"Fucking hell," Toby complained, glancing over his shoulder. "He got that crazy farmer guy from across the road. Start running."

Virgil scrambled to his feet, trying clumsily to follow his brother's lead. The older boy cleared a large root easily, Missy somehow managing to keep her grip on his hand, though she looked very much like she was going to throw up. Virgil, unlike his older brother, had about the same coordination as a newborn fawn learning to stand, and having made it over the root, instead tripped over his own feet. The dirt suddenly grew much closer, and he yelped, bracing himself for impact.

_"Watch out!"_

Logan grabbed the human more out of instinct than anything. Deceit had sent him out on some harebrained search for a human calling himself Anxiety, and, well, he was sort of hard to miss. Lumbering aimlessly through the woods with two other human children, all three reeking of fear and neglect.

He grabbed the small one jut before he hit the ground, and the boy clung to him, trembling.

The others turned, and then the other taller boy yelled, "Hey! That's my brother, let go of him!"

Anxiety (or Logan assumed it was Anxiety) blinked up at him, immediately squeaking and trying to pull away.

Was the human afraid of him? "What are you doi-" Logan paused. "I see. Yes. Of course, I forgot to introduce myself. You can call me Hyacinth. I am a friend of Deceit and Morality, I will not harm you. What should I call you?"

Anxiety narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "You can call me Anxiety."

"You're just going to believe him? Just like that?" The taller boy demanded, shoving the young human girl behind him and inching for Anxiety, who shied away.

"They can't lie," Anxiety said calmly, smiling up at Logan, who blinked at him in bewilderment. Why was he smiling? Logan could kill him in an instant, he shouldn't be feeling perfectly safe to lower his guard. "And anyways, he's friends with Dee," the human continued airily. "So I think he's a better bet that one of the mean faeries."

"You're lucky Lark and-"

"Nettle didn't find me first, I know," Anxiety said, rubbing his hands together in an almost nervous gesture. "Do you think you could please take us to Deceit?"

Logan inclined his head. "That is indeed why I am out here instead of on the other side of the forest doing my job," he answered. "Don't fall behind."

The children followed him silently, and Logan hastily lead them through the winding paths, wary of the shouting humans who seemed to be after the young ones.

"I found them! Over here!"

"This isn't going to plan," Logan grumbled, turning back and scooping the two older humans into his arms and nudging the third, smallest one onto his back. "Hold on," he warned. Shoving off with all his might, Logan took to the air, quickly getting far enough up that they couldn't see him, but not daring to go above the canopy.

"Where are you taking us?" The older boy demanded.

"To see your brother's friend," Logan answered, gritting his teeth as he struggled to stay airborne. His wings, though extremely strong, were also still delicate, and the strong wings this high up with so much cargo was starting to drag them all down.

Logan stifled a cry as one of his wings nearly gave out. He clenched his teeth and locked his gaze on a mushroom patch.

_**"Don't let go."** _

"Wha-"

Logan closed his wings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seven chapter was just my rough initial estimate, I think based on the notes I have for my little ideas for this, the main story line is going to be longer. The other installments and the one shot series will have more bits and pieces to fill in the gaps. And if you have anything you really want to know, leave a comment and I will very gladly write a one shot (or maybe a bit more) expanding on something you wanted more detail about, or just if you want some fluff. Just let me know where in the main timeline you want it to take place!
> 
> xx Asher


	4. December 14th, 1997

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I’ve had Piano Man by Billy Joel and like five different Panic! at the Disco songs stuck in my head all day and they are clashing _so badly_ someone save me
> 
> Second chapter todayyyy woooooooo
> 
> Happy 👏🏼 mother 👏🏼 mcfreaking 👏🏼 pride month 👏🏼 my dudes
> 
> It’s come to my attention via the internet that xe/xem pronouns can follow either singular or plural form patterns. I’ve been switching back and forth. Uhm...if it offends you how I’ve been portraying Patton’s gender terminology choices (I am completely blanking on the word here oh my gosh golly) please don’t hesitate to let me know!!
> 
> TW for mentioned car accidents and the death of a parent. I'll add that to the general tags as well. Please tell me if there is ever anything you think should be added to the tags! It really doesn't bother me, it takes like four or five seconds max to add in a tag.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry in advance for all the switching back and forth between British and American spellings. I use both and it makes my autocorrect go absolutely wild.
> 
> And uhhhhh apparently V and Janus and Logan are all going to be fighting for custody over these kids so get ready for a wild hecking ride.
> 
> xx Asher

Janus had heard the yelling grownup humans from miles off, and could see Morality wincing out of the corner of his eye every time they squashed a plant in their anger. Humans being cruel to one another was something most of the fae had accepted as normal long ago. But if there was one thing Morality hated (if xe were capable of such a thing as hatred) it was their blatant detachment from the beauty and life of the pure wilderness of the forests.

Just as Janus could sense a snowstorm coming even when the sky was clear and untouched by clouds, Morality could pick up on a human with ill intentions for the forest from across the lake.

Janus hated how much it hurt the smaller fae when a human destroyed one of xyr beloved plants, but they were all helpless to intervene, lest the humans come for them with their iron and their silver and their deathfire.

He reached his and Anxiety’s usual clearing by the stream just in time to see Hyacinth falling from the sky, shifting appearance rapidly as he struggled to keep ahold of the humans in his arms.

They slammed into the bed of mushrooms, Hyacinth managing to flip their positions at the last second and tucking his wings up tight to his body to avoid hurting them, yanking Anxiety around to cradle them all in his arms.

”Is everyone alright?” he asked, going from laying flat to standing upright so fast that the little girl winced. When Hyacinth gently deposited them all on the ground, the children had to crane their necks to look him in the face.

”My apologies,” Hyacinth said, snapping his fingers. Suddenly, they were looking at a fae much closer to the height of a teenager, just a bit taller than the older human boy. “I had adjusted my size in order to carry you all.”

”Thank you for helping us,” the other boy said gruffly.

Hyacinth inclined his head. “It was no trouble. A favour for an old friend. Speaking of whom, she’s also watching us from the bushes.”

Janus snorted, both at the pronoun switch (Hyacinth somehow always knew) and the exposure. “Drat. I though for sure I had you this time,” she said dryly, and the other faerie’s lips twitched into an almost-smile.

”If that is all you require of me, I shall take my leave,” he said, nodding.

”Do you need your wings looked over?” Janus asked hurriedly, noticing how dirty they were. “They look rather...”

”They took a beating, but I am sure they will recover with time,” Hyacinth assured her. “Do not worry about me.”

”I shall worry about you as much as I please,” Janus retorted. “Come along, you know my brother would be more than happy to tend to you.”

Hyacinth rolled his eyes, but followed the group as Janus herded the children in front of her.

”Morality will be very pleased to see you again,” Janus said.

Anxiety perked up. “Is that your brother’s name? I mean...”

Janus smiled. “Yes, that is what you may call xem.”

Anxiety nodded, then turned his attention to Hyacinth. “Are you okay?”

The fae looked flabbergasted at the question, opening and closing his mouth several times before grunting out a curt, “I shall recover.”

Anxiety looked like someone had just kicked a puppy and cancelled Christmas. “You got hurt? Lemme see.”

Hyacinth appeared too shocked to do anything but comply, and opened his wings gingerly, wincing at they rebelled, trying to stay clamped to his back.

Anxiety studied them for a moment, and then placed a hand gently over the biggest tear. “Does it hurt?” he asked softly, eyes shiny with tears.

”I...only a little,” Hyacinth stumbled over the words, gazing down at the small human with an expression of utter awe and adoration.

Snorting a bit, Janus turned to Anxiety’s siblings. “What are you two called?”

The boy glared up at her, panic flickering across his face. He hadn’t thought of a nickname, that much was clear. “...call me October,” he finally mumbled.

The girl had large eyes, like a doll, and they were a startlingly bright shade of blue. “Call me Pranks,” she said, reaching for October’s hand.

”Well, October and Pranks, you may know me as Deceit. My brother goes by Morality.”

They both nodded, but stayed silent, October keeping between Janus and his sister at all times, warily side glancing at her whenever he thought Janus wasn't looking.

”Here we are,” they said, pulling aside the ivy curtain to reveal their house. “A bit cliche, growing a house into the side of a tree, but it was more convenient than trying to live inside the borders of the court. Out here, we are allowed to live in peace.”

October hummed. “It’s pretty,” he admitted, smiling at the brook running in front of the treehouse.

”I am glad you like it.”

Morality bounded out of the door, waving a spatula frantically. “Did you find the kiddos?” xe asked, nearly tripping over xyr own feet in xyr haste. Janus chuckled - their brother had never been the most graceful of the fae.

”They are here and safe,” Janus called.

”Hyacinth, whatever happened to you? Goodness, dear, come along inside.“ Morality ushered the injured fae inside, herding everyone else in quickly behind and shutting the door. “Feel free to sit anywhere. Hyacinth, you come with me, I’ll fix up your wings in a jiffy.”

”How xe manages to be so constantly _bubbly_ is beyond me,” Janus mumbled. Then, louder, “You three need to get some rest, it’s nearly eleven.”

”What? It was just seven in the morning!” October exclaimed, rising to his feet.

”Time passes differently here.”

”Cool,” Pranks muttered. “Insane. Just like they told us at school. Except they haven’t eaten us yet. Incredible.”

”The stuff they teach us at school is mostly bogus anyways,” October said. “So sure, why not the rules about the faeries too?”

”Do not completely disregard your teachings about our kind yet,” Morality warned. “We are not what we seem.”

”I concur,” Hyacinth said, trailing behind Morality. “There are still fae out there who would do you harm.”

Anxiety glowered adorably. "I can take 'em," he protested. "Imma fight! Bam bam bam!" He swung his fists a couple times, and then October was there, trying to suppress his smile, taking Anxiety's hands in his own.

"Calm, there, little buddy," he said. "Don't want to hurt anyone. Why don't you come over here and lay down with Mis-er, with Pranks for a a bit. How does that sound?"

Anxiety shrugged, yawning. "I guess. Goodnight, Dee and Morality. Goodnight Hypacynsith."

Hyacinth cleared his throat at the butchering of his nickname, but didn't correct the child, just waved goodnight to him rather stiffly.

October got his siblings settled in under a blanket, both of them asleep within seconds of their heads touching the pillow.

October stood, moving to the door of the hut and staring upwards. "I'll be just out here if anyone needs me," he said gruffly, reaching down and grabbing their abandoned bags from the ground and hauling them out into the yard.

A slim metal frame fell from Anxiety's bag, and Janus moved to pick it up, hissing as the metal immediately burned her skin. "You dropped something," they called instead, rubbing the burn on their palm.

October picked the frame up gingerly, turning it over to reveal the picture enclosed within the glass and metal box.

"Who are they?" Janus asked. If you don't mind the question," he corrected.

October jerked his head in a 'follow me' motion and lead the way out into the yard, laying down on his back in the grass.

"That's my mom, the tall lady there. That's me with my sister there, and then Anxiety is the baby. My father...he took the picture because we couldn't find anyone else who would take it for us. He said he didn't mind being in the picture, but..." October wiped at his eyes, and Janus just looked up at the stars, trying to give him privacy to cry.

"I wish he'd been there," October finally continued. "So I could remember him like _that_ instead of this...whatever he's become now."

"What happened?" Janus asked. "She has a kind face."

"Car accident. A truck ran a red light, side slammed her car going sixty miles an hour. Doctors said she never felt a thing. Which...is good. That she didn't suffer. But the truck driver, he was drunk. Walked away without a scratch, never apologized. Lost his license and his job and he never once apologized for what he'd done to my family."

October took a shaking breath and turned to look at him. "Are you sure you want to hear about this?"

"I know of death and sorrow, little human. You need to get it out."

October nodded, clearing his throat. "There isn't a whole lot else to say. I mean, after mom died, dad turned to alcohol to cope, got drunk one too many times, and never looked back. He started showing up later and later. He had a foul temper. And he sometimes ripped papers or slammed his hands down on a table or something, but...most of what he did he kept verbal. And so I got good at distracting him. So he'd leave Pranks alone."

"Anxiety was his favorite. He loved him so much, spoiled him. And after the accident, he could have disappeared or been kidnapped by aliens for all he cared. All he wanted was a beer and the TV remote. Because...Anxiety reminds him too much of mom. He can’t even bear to look at him now.”

"I am so sorry for what you and your siblings have had to go through," Janus whispered, rising to his feet.

October just shook his head, turning away. Janus sighed. "Come. You should rest. The Fae realm is something you are not yet accustomed to; it's almost morning already."

October nodded, a dull exhaustion creeping over him, but he seemed unsurprised with how fast the time had gone.

"Thank you for keeping my little brother safe." He laughed humourlessly. "He's always been good at attracting trouble."

"It's been my pleasure. Goodnight, October."

"Goodnight, Deceit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly looking over this fic if I didn't know anything I'd assume Virgil was the middle child and Missy was the youngest child because that's how I for some reason have been writing her she just sounds so young to me in my head w h a t


	5. December 15th, 1997

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TWs: a couple mentions of implied child abuse/neglect, a mention of wanting to snap someone's neck, and one sentence with a brief implication of past child death

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I now have another fic (just a one shot) for this verse! You can find it on my profile under either the “Winter Violets One Shots” series or as “Its Voyage Closed and Done."
> 
> On a side note, does anyone remember the Warrior book series by Erin Hunter? Yeah, I'm snatching some terminology and stuff from those because they're hella good books and I think there are some stuff that'll work well with this universe.

Watching the children wake up the next morning was a rather odd experience. Anxiety was up first, bolting upright, almost immediately wide awake and moving around. Pranks and October were up about twenty minutes after, the girl’s hair a wild tangled bush atop her head. The boy looked a bit more composed, but still rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

They managed to move in a smooth weaving pattern around each other as they made to get dressed and find food. It was as if it was a routine they had practiced many times and perfected long ago.

Strange to watch these odd, clumsy humans be so suddenly fluid with their movements. Their footsteps on the mossy floor of the house were all but silent, much to Janus’s surprise.

They’d been so loud before and now it was as if their very lives depended on their silence, on remaining unnoticed. It didn’t sit well with Janus. Morality had noticed as well, staring at the children with an intensity that xe rarely had.

”Are you well rested?” Janus asked, internally wincing as the children flinched, heads flying up to stare at him with wide, scared eyes. “My apologies, it was not my intention to scare any of you. I merely wanted to ask a question. Are you alright?”

The children had been mistreated. It was clear in ever caution shift of their bodies, undeniable in the way their bones shifted under their skin, far to visible to be healthy. Anxiety was the thinnest, and Janus recalled their conversation with October, how he’d mentioned that their father had completely disregarded the very existence of one of his children after the death of his wife. How that was possible, Janus wasn’t sure if they wanted to know.

With the fae, the bond between parent and child was unbreakable. Even the mere _thought_ of abandoning a child was utterly unthinkable. Janus would be happy to snap the human’s neck, but Morality had refused to allow them to do such a thing. Which, when they thought about it properly, was most likely a good thing given how the humans were so very prone to violence. (Not that snapping a human's neck _wasn't_ violent, but the Fae didn't slaughter one another by the thousands or even millions over minor misunderstandings either. So. It evened out.)

They both had had their disagreements with the courts, but Janus's own mother still lived among them, and no matter how long it had been since they’d last spoken, he still loved her fiercely.

“What made you choose Anxiety for your nickname?” October asked his little brother.

”Deceit asked me for a name to call me and I couldn’t think of anything but your birthday.”

Anxiety nodded. "Makes sense. What about yours, Pranks?"

The girl barely glanced at her brothers from where she was roughly dragging a brush through her tangled hair. "April used to love playing pranks on everyone. It's just been on my mind. Feels like it's honoring her memory I guess."

The siblings went silent, heads bowing, and Janus backed away, not wanting to interrupt the strangely intimate moment of grief.

"Deceit?" Anxiety's head whipped up, eyes boring into Janus's and she sighed.

"It's uncanny how easily you can detect my presence," she grumbled. "I was completely silent and you still picked up on me from across the room."

"Call me Peter Parker, then, because my Spidey senses are _tingling_."

Janus blinked at the grinning child uncomprehendingly. "I _beg_ your pardon? Do you want us to call you Peter now?"

Anxiety giggled. "No. Silly. It's a comic. And movies."

"And literally everything that people can make money off of. Shirts, hats, backpacks, pins, water bottles-"

"You're gonna confuse her," Anxiety hissed, elbowing his brother.

Janus just shook her head. "I have yet to understand the strange ways you humans work. I doubt I will ever completely be able to comprehend the way your minds work."

"Good," Anxiety said, face going blank as he turned to stare directly into Janus's eyes. They shuddered at the uncanny intensity and terrifying blankness in his gaze. Then he flipped his short hair jokingly and struck a silly pose, and the odd moment of emptiness vanished. "We like a little air of mystery about us. Maybe we're plotting the best way to steal all your mushrooms," Anxiety proclaimed airily.

"I can feel the lie from here, kid, you wouldn't dare steal mushrooms from Morality. You love xem too much."

Anxiety made a face, sticking his tongue out. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"Love you too, kiddo!" Morality called from the kitchen, and Anxiety immediately flushed with embarrassment.

"Uh...whatever," he said, turning to grab his sweater off the back of a chair. "Can I take a walk?"

"Just be careful," Janus warned. "Be back for lunch. Did you eat enough for breakfast?"

"Morality gave us some strawberries, I had plenty," Anxiety said. "Thanks, Morality!"

"Anytime, kiddo."

"Pranks, October, you coming?" Anxiety asked of his siblings.

The two exchanged glances, then shrugged. "Sure, why not," October replied, turning for his coat.

Anxiety grinned, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "We'll be back!"

"If you're not back by sunhigh I'm sending out a search party!" Janus called.

"Bet!"

"I...there was no bet," Hyacinth said, marking his place in his book to finally look up at them all. "Deceit expects you back at a certain time, I fail to understand-"

"Human slang, Hypacynsith."

"I...it's _Hyacinth_ ," he corrected weakly.

Anxiety frowned adorably. "Isn't that what I said? Can you say it again, please?"

"Hi...uh...sin...th," Hyacinth repeated, slower.

Anxiety thought for a moment, tongue poking out between his lips as he mumbled it over carefully. "Hypacynsith. Hyasinpish. Hypasinth." He seemed to get angrier the more he messed up, clenching his jaw and tapping his fingers along his leg. "Maybe I'm just stupid," he said angrily, though there was an undercurrent or worry and sadness.

"You're getting closer," Hyacinth reassured him. "You're a fast learner." Anxiety beamed happily. “Take out the p in the middle.”

”Hyacinth?”

”Very good!” Hyacinth praised, and Virgil turned to flash a smile at Janus and Patton. “Very well done,” Hyacinth said, mostly to himself.

Janus smirked at the younger fae. “You love the kid already, don’t you?”

”I...may or may not hold some amount of fascination with his kind,” Hyacinth mumbled, blushing, watching as Anxiety bounded out the door with his siblings in tow.

”Have you talked to Iris recently?" Janus asked suddenly.

Hyacinth shook his head. "Haven't seen them in a couple of days. They'll be around."

Janus chuckled. "I hope so. They'll love Anxiety."

"Everyone here does, it's like he put a spell on us all."

"It's just how cute he is," Janus said, snorting. "He's too cute for any of us to resist. And besides, none of those children have been properly brought up. Their father doesn't deserve the title."

Hyacinth raised a knowing eyebrow, glancing back at Morality, and Janus punched his friend on the shoulder. "Not a word to xem, you know how xe gets."

"You're going soft. For a human child," Hyacinth deadpanned.

"So are you!" she retorted. "It's not just me!"

The other faerie rolled his eyes. "Human magic. Children are always irresistible."

"Well...well, yes, obviously, but not like that. Anxiety is different. I don't think he means to charm us."

"It's not that kind of charm anyways, Dee, it's an expression. Even I know that."

"Suck my dick," Janus replied absently.

Hyacinth wrinkled his nose. "Not my job. _So_ sorry to disappoint."

"Hyacinth, don't be _**disgusting**_."

"You started it."

"I'll finish it, too, keep testing me."

"I'd rather you not do that in front of me."

"You've been spending too much time with your brothers," Janus sighed, turning to head inside.

Hyacinth grinned. "Mayhaps. Your point?"

Janus just shook his head. "Between you and the human, I'll be dead in a week."

"I'm betting you'll last less than that now that the humans are here full time." He paused. "They _are_ staying here, aren't they? They can't very well go home, you saw how the human's reacted to them."

Janus snorted. "Of course they're staying here. What do you think I am, a heartless monster?"

"Given the aura you give off when you're around your Court, I'd say that would be accurate to an outsider. However, I know you well enough to know that you and the courts have had their...differences, and no longer interact near much as you would under different circumstances. Not that it's any of my business, your mother gets chatty when I call on her to check on her health."

Janus snorted. "So she hasn't changed a bit, then, hmm?"

"She misses you terribly," Hyacinth replied, much quieter than before. "I think it would break her heart to go another Season longer without a visit from you."

Janus glared at the grass and turned to stomp back towards the house. "You know as well as I that I cannot set foot on that territory anymore. I haven't been able to for a very long time."

"And she cannot very well step foot outside without being accused of treason," Hyacinth conceded, jogging to catch up. "A fair point. Well...perhaps we could arrange a meet up along the border. Just from a distance."

Janus nodded. "I'd like that, but at what cost?"

"Not a thing. The Court will hopefully be none the wiser about the meeting, you will see your mother again, and you can stop moping quite as much every time Spring comes around."

He sighed, looking out across the meadow through the window, smiling as Anxiety's head bobbed and out of view above the flowers.

Hyacinth was a steady weight at her side, and she leaned into his warmth, closing his eyes.

"I hope you're right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have one more drafted chapter. Might be a bit til I can get the next update out after that, but the cord count’ll hopefully be a tad more.
> 
> Fun fact! "Hypacynsith" is now in the list of recommended words on my phone keyboard even though I've only typed it three times in my entire life. XD thought that was funny. It now wants to autocorrect Hyacinth to Hypacynsith. (Four times XD)


	6. December 20th, 1997

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Made some edits to the previous chapter, so...maybe re-read that before you skip to this one? Nothing important happened but Virgil is more of a little shit than before and there's a cute little Loceit moment right at the end because I love them and I shall die on this ship.
> 
> TWs: underage drinking, crying, Very Bad Decisions, some pretty foul language, and some references to the kids’s shitbag of a father

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think December 20th 1997 was actually a Monday but that was just an accident but anygays just a cool fact.
> 
> This is the 6th chapter out of 10, go listen to dodie’s music. (I’ve been waiting three chapters to say that-)
> 
> xx Asher

"Nothing like getting drunk and getting manic on a motherfucking Monday," Anxiety's older brother slurred, holding up a bottle. He smelled of the same over powerful spice-and-fire of the stumbling humans who wandered through the forests shouting at nothing and waving their deathbringers.

"October!" Anxiety hissed. "Put that down, you're not old enough!"

"I've been doing this since you were still in diapers," October retorted. "You don't know a damn thing about me."

”You’re my brother!” Anxiety cried. “I know you well enough to know that you’ll regret this later.” The boy suddenly sounded much older than he was, and Janus wrinkled his nose as such an authoritative voice coming from the tiny body standing on the moss.

October waved a hand dismissively, snorting. “Then let future me regret it, because now me doesn’t regret a damn thing.”

Anxiety went quiet, and October started to walk in unstable circles. “Did you know,” he said quietly, stopping dead and plopping down on his butt in the dirt. “That dad never laid a hand on any of us until mom died? Did you know that he’d never thrown anything at me until the day we left? I kept thinking...hey, h-hey, maybe he’ll get better.” October laughed, frenzied and hysterical and terrifying.

“But then he threw a glass jar at my head, and...I knew we couldn’t stay there, Anx. We had to get out if there. That wasn’t an environment where you and Pranks would be able to live the way you should.”

October stumbled to his feet, taking another swig of the bitter liquid and throwing his arms wide. “I thought he’d change! If not for himself or even for me, then for _Pranks_ , at least.” October’s eyes filled with tears, years of grief and anger overflowing all at once.

Anxiety crept towards his brother, wrapping his thin arms around the taller boy's waist.

"Please, October."

October stared down at the top of Anxiety's head, shoulders shaking with the beginning of sobs, dropping the bottle and collapsing to his knees in the shattered remains, pulling his little brother onto his lap, pressing kisses to his head and whispering apology after apology into his hair.

He seemed suddenly exhausted, though whether or not that was a side effect of the alcohol, Janus didn't know.

He pulled both of the children gently into his arms, bringing them into the back bedroom and laying them down on the bed.

"Sweet dreams, little ones."

Janus shot to attention as the boys twitched on the bed, Anxiety's eyes fluttering open. He didn't say anything, just stared up at Janus.

"Your brother sustained only minor injuries from landing on the bottle," he said quietly. "I suspect he shall be perfectly alright. For now, he needs rest. His body is recovering."

The boy just nodded, settling back down, and Janus slumped in his chair, closing his eyes when he saw Anxiety had snuggled back up to October.

"Can I go explore?" Anxiety asked suddenly, lifting his head up from his sleeping brother's chest. "I wanna see the forest."

Janus hesitated, glancing at Morality, who was standing in the doorway. "Is it safe enough for him to go out alone?" he asked.

Xe twisted xyr mouth up. "I suppose he's been doing it for this long, he should probably be fine. He knows his way through these trees."

Janus nodded, turning back to Anxiety. "Be back before sunset," she warned. "Don't stray from the path. And whatever you do, don't you ever cross the ivy border."

"What's past the ivy border?" Anxiety asked, doing that endearing head tilt that never failed to make Janus's heart turn into a little puddle of goo.

"The Winter Court has claimed the area within the ivy, and...take it from me, you would be wise to avoid tangling up with them. Even the fae in the outlying villages will kill you without hesitation. Humans have done nothing but pillage and destroy their homes and killed their families. And if you have been seen with me you are surely in danger within their lands."

"We have guns," Anxiety remarked. "The humans hurt you all. I'm sorry."

"What is a...gun?" Janus asked carefully, testing out the foreign word in their mouth. They didn't like it. It felt wrong to say or even think the word.

Anxiety pursed his lips as he thought. "I guess it's a metal stick. It makes a really super loud bang when it goes off and it shoots a little metal ball out of the end."

"The deathbringers," Janus realized.

Anxiety looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "I guess if that's what you call them."

Janus nodded. “Are you sure you do not want one of us to go with you?”

Anxiety nodded, expression suddenly grim. “There’s something I have to do. Alone. Nothing dangerous! But...I’ll feel a lot better once I just get it over with.”

Janus nodded. “Stay safe, then, little one.”

Anxiety nodded. "I will." He slipped from the bed quietly, tenderly pulling the blankets back up around his brother and brushing his hair back from his forehead.

"You promise he'll be okay?" he asked, looking up at Janus with teary eyes.

Janus swallowed heavily. "I promise."

"Thanks," Anxiety said quietly, glancing back down at October before moving for the door.

"I'll be back in a bit."

"Anxiety?" Janus called after him.

The boy turned back.

"If I might ask, what were you doing the other day, when you went off alone?"

Anxiety slumped a bit. "I...was visiting someone. I try to talk to her as much as I can, even if she can't hear me anymore."

Well. Janus could certainly fill in the blanks from there. "My apologies, I did not intend to pry into personal matters."

Anxiety shook his head. "It's okay. I was going to tell you anyways, but October wanted to explain. I'll leave it to him when... He glanced at his brother. "When he wakes up."

Janus nodded curtly. "Understood."

"Thanks, Jan," Anxiety chirped, and darted out the door before Janus could say anything else.

Sighing, they turned back to the boy still asleep in the bed, and settled down under their blanket, eyes closing again.

"Mor?" they called sleepily. "Is the girl with you?"

"We're out here!" Pranks yelled back. "I'm making brownies! Do you want one?"

Janus contemplates. They wanted to be there when October awoke, and they were quite comfortable, but...brownies were certainly a worthy distraction.

He narrowed his eyes. "Do they have any nuts in them?" he asked.

"Walnuts!" Pranks called back.

Dammit.

"Coming."

He hopped out of the chair, casting one more glance at the boy before slipping out of the room.

"Morality makes the best double chocolate walnut brownies this side of the Snowtop-Lakeridge border," he said as he hopped into a stool at the counter. "That's the only reason I'm up."

Pranks waved at him. "I helped!" she chirped proudly.

Janus ruffled her hair gently. "Good job, kid. You did well."

She held out a brownie for him, eyes shining, and Janus once again couldn't help but compare her to a doll, with her wide eyes and curly hair and perfect round face.

"This is really good," he commented, shoving the rest of the brownie into his mouth. "Thank you."

Morality smiled at him over the top of Pranks's head, looking rather smug. Janus stuck his tongue out at xem, and Pranks giggled, the action showing off the gap in her front teeth. Janus glanced sharply back at her. "When did your teeth start falling out?" he asked. "Are you sick?"

Pranks shook her head, curls bouncing. "Nope. Humans lose their baby teeth and then new ones grow back in. It usually doesn't happen this late, but...I still have one more and then I'm done. Mom used to worry that my teeth weren't getting loose, but it finally happened!"

"Does it happen several times?"

Pranks shook her head again, tongue poking at her exposed gums. "You lose your teeth once. If they've come back once you can't get any more. And if you lose an adult tooth you don't get a new one."

"Fascinating," Hyacinth muttered. "This must be exclusive to humans."

Pranks shrugged, biting into a brownie of her own. "Dunno. I never thought to ask mom when...when she was alive."

Morality pulled Pranks into a hug. "I'm so sorry, kiddo."

"That's okay," she whispered, sniffling a bit. "It's been a long time."

"Time cannot lessen that kind of pain. We only grow better at ignoring it," Morality said. "That's something my grandmother told me when I was young. She was the wisest fae I ever knew. I miss her every single second I'm alive."

”I’m sorry.”

”It’s alright, kiddo. She’s still with us, in a way. I can hear her every time the leaves rustle in the wind.”

Pranks smiled. “That’s sweet. Nice that you can...remember her like that.”

Morality smiled up at the trees around them. “Nobody ever truly leaves if you don’t want them too. They’ll watch over you for as long as you need them.”

”Will you?”

”Will I what, kiddo?”

Pranks met his gaze, dark eyes wide and serious. “Watch us.”

Morality smiled, ruffling her hair. “For as long as you need me, kiddo. As long as you need me.”


End file.
